Computing and printing weighing scale system with weight totalizing means

ABSTRACT

A system for weighing, computing and printing records of the weight and value of each and the total of a plurality of successively weighed loads having retail and wholesale modes of operation. When the system is in the retail mode, tickets are printed showing the weight of a single package, the retail price per pound and value computed by multiplying such single weight and retail price. When the system is in wholesale mode, tickets are printed showing the total weight of a plurality of packages, the wholesale price per pound and value computed by multiplying such total weight and wholesale price.

United States Patent [72] lnventor William C. Susor Toledo, Ohio [21Appl. No. 843,940

[22] Filed July 23, 1969 [45] Patented Feb. 9, 1971 73] AssigneeReliance Electric Company Toledo, Ohio a corporation of Delaware [54]COMPUTING AND PlUNTING WEIGHING SCALE SYSTEM WITH WEIGHT TOTALIZINGMEANS 3,170,624 2/1965 Allen l77/3X l PROGRAMMER I I COMPUTER PRINTE R3,291,232 12/1966 Bell 177/17X 3,384,193 5/1968 Susor et al. 177/33,388,758 6/1968 Allen et al. 177/4 3,453,422 7/1969 Susor 177/3XPrimary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-George H.Miller, Jr. An0rney-Thomas H. Grafton ABSTRACT: A system for weighing,computing and printing records of the weight and value of each and thetotal of a plurality of successively weighed loads having retail andwholesale modes of operation. When the system is in the retail mode,tickets are printed showing the weight of a single package, the retailprice per pound and value computed by multiplying such single weight andretail price. When the system is in wholesale mode, tickets are printedshowing the total weight of a plurality of packages, the wholesale priceper pound and value computed by multiplying such total weight andwholesale price.

AND

FLIP FLOP ELECTRICAL READOUT TOTALIZER CIRCUIT PATENTEB FEB 9 I97! '47l9 AND N0 MOTION 1 5| I5 AND v y. v

I 49/ PROGRAMMER r I f g I 58 AND ' COMPUTER ELECTRICAL WEIGH'NG 36 I IREADOUT- SCALE UNIT 27/ PRICE I {29 30 f l 37 3| I TOTALIZER PRINTER 32|4 -1 BLOCKING i- 34 CIRCUIT 26 I 553% I INVENTOR.

WILLIAM C. SUSOR ATTORNEY COMPUTING AND PRINTING WEIGIIING SCALE SYSTEMWITH WEIGHT TOTALIZING MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention The invention relates to electronic computing and printingscales.

2. Description of the Prior Art U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,193 issued May 21,1968 to W. C. Susor and O. J. Martin discloses a system for weighing,computing and printing a record of the weight and value of each of aplurality of successively weighed loads.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The system disclosed in the foregoing patent ismodified to have retail and wholesale modes ofoperation. In retail mode,the system operates as disclosed in the patent. In wholesale mode, atotalizer enters the total weight factor of a plurality of loads in thecomputer and such factor is multiplied by a wholesale price per poundfactor to compute wholesale value. When the system is in retail mode,tickets are printed as usual. These can be, for example, weight andpricing labels for packages of meat. After retail tickets, for example,are printed relating to one kind of a commodity in 10 packages, the unitprice input to the computer is changed to the wholesale price and thesystem is placed in wholesale mode. One ticket then is printed showingthe total weight of the 10 packages, the total computed value of the 10packages, and the wholesale unit price. This wholesale ticketaccompanies a box containing the 10 packages, which may be sent from acentral prepackaging warehouse to a retail store, and is useful incharging the retail store for the wholesale order.

The objects of the invention are 'to improve load-measuring devices, toprovide electronic computing and printing scales with retail andwholesale modes of operation, and to provide operational interlocks andsignals for such scales to ensure system reliability.

The above and other objects and features of this invention will beappreciated more fully from the following detailed description when readwith reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

The Figure is a block diagram illustrating the general organization ofthe weighing, computing and printing system with retail and wholesalemode means and interlocks of the invention combined therewith.

A system for weighing, computing and printing a record of the weight andvalue of each of a plurality of successively weighed loads is shown inthe foregoing U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,193 and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,453,422issued Jul. 1, 1969 to W. C. Susor.

The system includes a computing weighing scale 10 and a computer 11which receives weight information from the scale and multiplies theweight of an article upon the scale by the unit price, entered at 12, tocompute the value of such article. The computer 11 also multiplies suchunit price times one so that it produces an electrical unit priceoutput. The computer has an input which is compatible with the parallel1-2-4-8 binary coded decimal weight output of an electrical readout 13in circuit therewith. Electrical connection of the readout 13 to thecomputer 11 is through contacts 14.

The weighing scale 10 is connected to a motion detector, not shown,which prevents erroneous weight readouts from taking place when theweighing mechanism is in motion. The motion detector applies no motionsignals through a lead 15 (lead 29 in the foregoing U.S. Pat. No.3,384,193) to a programmer 16, the lead 15 being connected to theprogrammer 16 through contacts 17 and an AND gate 18. The AND gate 18(AND gate 90 in the above U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,193) is enabled by threeinputs, the no motion signal on the lead 15, a ready light signal on alead 19 from the programmer l6 (ready light 89 in the above U.S. Pat.No. 3,384,193) and a signal on a lead 20 indicating that there is noexcess value.

The programmer 16 applies reset signals and command-tocompute signalsthrough leads 21, 22 and 23, respectively, to the computer 11 andreceives program advance signals through a lead 24 from the computer.The programmer 16 also applies a print signal through a lead 25 to amechanical readout and printer 26 commanding it to print. The mechanicalreadout includes a combination of a series of modules each comprising adetent wheel which is directly gear connected to a commutator and to aprint wheel. Each module indicates the digits of a particulardenomination. When the turning print wheel approaches the correctindicating position, a stopping latch intercepts the correct one of theteeth of the detent wheel to arrest the detent wheel. Such readout alsoincludes coincidence circuits which receive l'-24-8 binary coded unitprice signals from the computer 11 through a cable 27 and l2a-8 binarycoded decimal signals through a cable 28 indicative of the positions ofthe respective commutators. The detend wheels and thus the print wheelsare stopped when the coincidence circuits determine that the wheels arein the correct indicating positions. Similarly, the coincidence circuitsreceive l248 binary coded decimal weight and value signals from thecomputer 11 through leads not shown and l-2-a-8 binary coded decimalsignals through leads not shown indicative of the positions of therespective commutators. There are four weight print wheels (maximumweight is 25.00 pounds) set up by four weight contact closures (contacts4649 in the above U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,193,). These weight contactclosures also are utilized to enter weight into a totalizer 29 throughleads 3033. Push button contacts 34 connect the leads 3033 to thetotalizer 29 and contacts 35 connect the totalizer 29 to the computer11. The print signal on the lead 25 after passing an AND gate 36 isapplied through a lead 37 to the printer 26 and to the totalizer 29. Aswitch 38 is located in the lead 37 between the printer 26 and thetotalizer 29.

The system is readied for weighing by setting the commodity nameprinting plate in the machine, turning the price setting knobs, settingtare into the system, and closing a reset switch as described in theforegoing U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,193. This applies an input signal to theprogrammer 16 through a lead 39. Breaking the signal, for example, byremoving the printing plate, causes the programmer 16 to reset. In thesystem shown in FIG. 1, the input signal additionally is brokenmomentarily whenever contacts 40 are moved from terminals 41 toterminals 42 and vice versa. A retail-wholesale switch 43 having TOTALand SINGLE terminals is mechanically connected to the contacts 14, 17,35, 38, 40, 44, and 56. Contacts 44 when closed partially enable an ANDgate 45.

In retail mode, i.e., when the switch 43 is in its SINGLE or singlepackage setting, the system operates as disclosed in the above U.S. Pat.No. 3,384,193. The switch 43 applies a signal from a lead 46 throughclosed contacts 56 to partially enable an AND gate 47 which is enabledwhen the foregoing reset switch (switch 71 in U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,193)is closed to apply the enabling signal on a lead 48. The output of theAND gate 47 on a lead 49 resets the totalizer 29. In retail mode, theswitch 43 also applies a signal from the lead 46 through closed contacts56 to the S terminal of a flip-flop 50 setting the flipflop. As shown,contacts 14, 38 and 56 are closed, contacts 35 and 44 are open, contacts17 engage a terminal 51, and contacts 40 engage terminals 41. Asdescribed above, moving contacts 40 from terminals 42 to-terminals 41resets the programmer 16.

In retail mode, the computer 11 receives weight information from thescale through closed contacts 14 and multiplies the weight of an articleupon the scale by the unit retail price of such article to compute thevalue of such article. The weight and computed value print wheels in theprinter 26 are setup. The programmer 16 programs such events afterreceiving the output signal from the AND gate 18 by applying the abovereset signals and command-to-compute signals through leads 2], 22 and23, respectively. Application of the print signal by the programmer 16to the lead 25 enables the AND gate 36 which had been partially enabledby signals from NOT gates 52 and 53. The print signal is applied to theprinter 26 through the lead 37 and through closed contacts 38 to thetotalizer 29. NOT gate 52 applies its output to the input of the ANDgate 36 because the flip-flop 50 does not apply an input to the NOT gate52 in its set position and NOT gate 53 applies its output to the inputof the AND gate 36 because a blocking circuit 54, a part of thetotalizer 29, does not apply an input to the NOT gate 53 (contacts 55are open during this part of the cycle as hereinafter described). Theprint signal applied to the printer 26 causes weight and computed valueto be printed on the retail label and the print signal applied to thetotalizer 29 causes weight simultaneously to be entered into thetotalizer 29.

The totalizer 29 is made by modifying a computer 11. The weight input onleads 30--33 is applied to the weight input leads (see FIG. 4 in theabove U .S. Pat. No. 3,453,422) and the price input to the modifiedcomputer is maintained as a factor of one by hardwiring a one into thecomputer price input. The command signal to multiply weight times pricein FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,453,422 is applied on the lead 34 shown inthe patent. The print signal on lead 37 is applied through the closedcontact 38 to the totalizer 29 by applying it to the correspondingcommandto-multiply lead in the totalizer. Weight times the factor of oneis computed and accumulated in the counters of the totalizer 29 everytime a print command signal passes through the AND gate-36. in retailmode, there is no reset of the counters in the totalizer 29. The printsignal applied to the printer 26 causes weight and computed weightandretail computed value in the same manner as disclosed in the above U.S.Pat. No. 3,384,193. In addition, simultaneous with printing the label,the weight factors are entered and accumulated in the totalizer 29.

The system may be used in a central prepackaging operadesired number ofpackages containing one kind of a com-.

modity, the mode switch 43 is changed to TOTAL. At this time eachpackage is labeled and the total weight of all the packages in thewholesale box is accumulated in the totalizer 29. The retail unit pricesignal on the lead 12 is changed to the wholesale unit price. Moving themode switch 43 to TOTAL reverses the positions of the ganged contacts14, 17, 35, 38, 40,344 and 56. Moving contacts 40 from terminals 41 to42 resets the programmer 16. Moving contacts 17 from the terminal 51 toa terminal 57 makes the system independent of the no motion signal onthe lead 15 by applying the ready light signal on the lead 19 to twoinputs of the AND gate 18. Open- ,ing contacts 14 and closing contacts35 disconnects the weight readout 13 from the computer 11 and connectsthe output of the totalizer 29 to the computer 1 1. Opening contacts 56and closing contacts 44 removes the input to the set terminal S of theflip-flop 50 and partially enables the AND gate 45 which is enabled bythe first print signal passing through the AND gate 36. A lead 58connects the output of the AND gate 36 to the input of the AND gate 45.The enabled AND gate 45 applies an input to the reset terminal R of theflip-flop which applies an output to the NOT gate 52. The NOT gate 52 inturn 7 ceases to provide an output to the AND gate 36 which can no thewholesale print signal is applied only to the printer 26 (printwholesale label) and to the AND gate 45 (prevent printing more than onewholesale label).

The reset programmer l6 (reset by moving the mode switch 43 to TOTAL) isadvanced for automatic operation by operating the foregoing reset switch(switch 71 in the above U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,193), whereupon the readylight signal from the programmer 16 on the lead 19 enables the AND gate18 and the programmer 16 advances and produces the print signal on thelead 25. The total weight input to the computer 11 from the totalizer 29is multiplied by the wholesale price on the price input 12 and thewholesale ticket is printed with the total weight and total value of allthe packagesin the wholesale box. The wholesale ticket accompanies thebox to the retail foodstore. The wholesale ticket in addition containsall of the information on the retail labels, such as the commodity name.One of the features is usingthe old computer and the old printer for twopurposes, i.e., retail and wholesale tickets. It is possible to use theold computer and two printers, one for printing retail tickets and onefor printing wholesale tickets in situations where it is desirable tophysically separate the printing operations. Also, the weight can beentered directly from the electrical readout 13 into the totalizer 29.

In retail mode, if a label is printed but not used, the'push buttoncontacts 34 are opened to prevent weight entry into the totalizer 29. A

The weight entry from the totalizer 29 to the computer 11 is in l2-4-8binary coded decimal signals'A one and a two in the most significantplace makes 39.99 pounds the limit ofthe computer when filled from thetotalizer (limit of weighing scale is 25.00 pounds). To guard against.an excess total, the blocking circuit 54 is provided with a preset entryof four and is connected to the output of the most significant counterin the totalizer 29. At coincidence (a'four in'the most significantweight place-excess total), the blocking circuit 54 closes weightfactors from the electrical readout 13 by retail'unit price factors onthe'input 12 and computes wholesale values by multiplying weight factorsfrom the totalizer 29 by wholesale unit price factors on the input 12.The means for entering the single weight factors in the totalizer 29 arethe means shown, i.e., contact closures in the printer 26place weightsignals on leads 3033, or direct entry of weight factors from thereadout 13 into the totalizer 29. The switch 43 has a single packagesetting SINGLE for connecting the weighing scale readout 13 to anddisconnecting the totalizer 29 from the computer 11 (contacts 14 closedand contacts 35 open) and a total setting TOTAL for disconnecting theweighing scale readout from and connecting the totalizerto the computer(contacts 14 open and contacts 35 closed).

The system includes circuit means (AND gate 47) which'is conditioned(partially enabled) by changing the mode switch 43 from the totalsetting to the single package setting for resetting the totalizer. TheAND gate 47 is completely enabled by the output on the lead 48connecting the programmer 16 to the AND gate 47.

The system also includes circuit means (contacts 40) for resetting theprogrammer 16 automatically after every change in the setting of themode switch 43.

The system also includes circuit means (contacts 17) .which areconditioned by changing the mode switch 43 from the single packagesetting to the total setting for advancing the programmer 16independently of the weighing portion of the system, i.e., computingandprinting in the SINGLE setting cannot take place until the no motionsignal is placed on the lead 15. Printing in the TOTAL setting isindependent of the no motion signal.

The system also includes blocking circuit means 54 (an interlock) forpreventing printing when the total of the single weight factors in thetotalizer 29 reaches a predetermined number. That is, at coincidence (afour in the most significant total weight place), contacts 55 are closedto prevent printing a wholesale ticket.

The system also includes selectively operable switch means (contacts 34)which are provided for preventing entry of the single weight factorsinto the totalizer 29. This interlock is used when a retail ticket hasbeen printed but for some reason not used.

The system also includes circuit means (AND gate 45 and flip-flop 50)which are conditioned by moving the mode switch 43 from SINGLE to TOTALfor preventing more than one printing operation per TOTAL setting.

It is to be understood that the above description is illustrative ofthis invention and that various modifications thereof can be utilizedwithout departing from its spirit and scope.

lelaim:

l. A system for weighing, computing and printing records of the weightand value of each and the total of a plurality of successively weighedloads comprising, in combination, a computer for computing the valuesaccording to weight and price per weight unit factors, weighing scalereadout means for entering the single weight factor of each of the loadsin the computer, totalizer means for entering the total weight factor ofa plurality of loads in the computer, means for entering price perweight unit factors in the computer, printer means for printing saidweight factors and/or said computed values, means for entering saidsingle weight factors in the totalizer means, programmer means forprogramming the system, and switch means having a single package settingfor connecting the weighing scale readout means to and disconnecting thetotalizer means from the computer and a total setting for disconnectingthe weighing scale readout means from and connecting the totalizer meansto the computer.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein circuit means are providedwhich are conditioned by switching said switch means from the totalsetting to the single package setting for resetting the totalizer.

3. A system according to claim I wherein circuit means are provided forresetting the programmer means automatically after every change in saidswitch settings.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein circuit means are providedwhich are conditioned by switching said switch means from the singlepackage setting to the total setting for advancing the programmer meansindependently of the weighing portion of the system.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein the totalizer means includesblocking circuit means for preventing printing when the total of thesingle weight factors in the totalizer means reaches a predeterminednumber.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein selectively operable switchmeans are provided for preventing entry of the single weight factorsinto the totalizer means.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein circuit means are providedwhich are conditioned by switching said switch means from the singlepackage setting to the total setting for preventing more than oneprinting operation per total setting.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein the printer means prints saidweight factors and/or said computed values and also enters said singleweight factors in the totalizer means.

1. A system for weighing, computing and printing records of the weightand value of each and the total of a plurality of successively weighedloads comprising, in combination, a computer for computing the valuesaccording to weight and price per weight unit factors, weighing scalereadout means for entering the single weight factor of each of the loadsin the computer, totalizer means for entering the total weight factor ofa plurality of loads in the computer, means for entering price perweight unit factors in the computer, printer means for printing saidweight factors and/or said computed values, means for entering saidsingle weight factors in the totalizer means, programmer means forprogramming the system, and switch means having a single package settingfor connecting the weighing scale readout Means to and disconnecting thetotalizer means from the computer and a total setting for disconnectingthe weighing scale readout means from and connecting the totalizer meansto the computer.
 2. A system according to claim 1 wherein circuit meansare provided which are conditioned by switching said switch means fromthe total setting to the single package setting for resetting thetotalizer.
 3. A system according to claim 1 wherein circuit means areprovided for resetting the programmer means automatically after everychange in said switch settings.
 4. A system according to claim 1 whereincircuit means are provided which are conditioned by switching saidswitch means from the single package setting to the total setting foradvancing the programmer means independently of the weighing portion ofthe system.
 5. A system according to claim 1 wherein the totalizer meansincludes blocking circuit means for preventing printing when the totalof the single weight factors in the totalizer means reaches apredetermined number.
 6. A system according to claim 1 whereinselectively operable switch means are provided for preventing entry ofthe single weight factors into the totalizer means.
 7. A systemaccording to claim 1 wherein circuit means are provided which areconditioned by switching said switch means from the single packagesetting to the total setting for preventing more than one printingoperation per total setting.
 8. A system according to claim 1 whereinthe printer means prints said weight factors and/or said computed valuesand also enters said single weight factors in the totalizer means.